Things That I Wrote, Uh, Elsewhere

Hmm, so, this place still exists, does it? That’s nice. It turns out, I much prefer running websites to actually updating them. Good thing that’s what I do for a living. And speaking of the website I work for, (didja see how I transitioned there? I’ve still got it!), I actually wrote a piece there recently:

On Grief, and Connecting to a Community
I was raised by parents who didn’t just tell me that it was important to do good things and help my community, they demonstrated it in the way they lived their lives. Dad was a volunteer firefighter. Mom was a nurse. Together, they helped cofound our tiny town’s emergency rescue squad in upstate New York. They were often first responders — the kind of people who don’t rubberneck at accidents, they pull over and help.

But I also wrote a thing, for a different website, that is much less depressing! (See, again, transitioning between subjects with ease!)

Do You Have a Minute for the Children?
“Hey, do you have a minute for the children?”
Wince. Apologetic smile and shrug. Slink away. That’s pretty standard. Canvassers are really common in New York, so I’ve been asked endlessly if I have a moment for the children, or gay marriage, or the environment. (Or where I get my hair cut, and if I’m interested in a spa treatment at a fancy salon. Yes, I am, but I’m not giving you $200 in cash.) So the answer is usually that awkward shrug and me moving on without taking off my headphones, but two weeks ago I was in a weird mood.

So there you have it! Things that I wrote! I would say there will be more soon, but we all know that would be a big ol’ lie.

I am a novelist, not a blogger — so this blog is not updated all that often. If you’d like to keep up to date with me, I suggest you sign up for my newsletter, in which I talk about my books and writing, and other odds and ends. You can also follow me on tumblr, or one of the other social networks linked in the header.